Piston-ring



E. BEECHER. PISTON RING.

` APPLICATION FILED SEPT.3, 19H3. l ,348,146, l Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

8 l fr mi 'Q wm t Z @il ww, Ta/mrd eedzefff num l l 'l mlmmll d Bk UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EIWABD BEECHER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, .ASSIGNOR T MoQUAY-NORRIS MANV'U- 'I I FACTURINGOOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

rIsToN-MNG.

Specification of Letters Patent.`

Application led September 3, 1918. Serial No. 252,421.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD BnnoHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri,l have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Piston-Rings, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description, reference being 7 had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The present invention is directed to improvements in piston-rings for use in cylinders `of internal combustion engines, and particularly to the closed joint type of split metal ring, the object being -to provide a ring which shall at all .times be free to expand against the inner walls of the'cylinder in` which the piston operates, and one in which the terminals of the ringfby which the joint isformed are so shaped asto guide and assist one another in the contracting or closing movement ofthe ring to permit the latter tobeinserted into the cylinder. The ring as constructed possesses structural features the advantages of which will be apparent from the following detailed description in connection with 'the accompanying drawing'fin whichi' 1 Figurel represents a middle longitudinal section of a' gas engine cylinder with the piston in elevation showing the improved ring applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an outer face view 'of the ring when free or expanded; Figr is an outerl face View of the ring when contracted to close the joint between its terminais; Fig. 4 is an end view of one terminal;

lFi 5 is an end View of the opposite termina Fig.'6 is a cross-section on the line 6 6 of Fig..2; Fig. 7 is a side view of the ring when free or expanded; Fig. 8 is a side'view of the ring in its contracted or operative pop s ition; and Fig. 9is a perspective view'of thering when free.

Referring to' the drawings, G represents the engine cylinder, and P the piston which,

in the present'example, is shown as equipped with two of the improved rin s. The ring' comprises a resilient split ban 1 preferably of uniform cross-section, the ends of the lband being-normally disen aged when the band is 'free or in the open igs. 2, 7, and9).

'1 As well understood'in the art the/band is received b v a peripheral groove .It formed in the piston (Fig. l). The ends of the band terminate in tongues or extensions t, t, disposed respectively oontiguous to the opposite sides of the band, the width of each tongue being substantially one-half the width of the band (the width being the dimension measured parallel to the axis of the band), and the thickness of each tongue being substantially one-half the thickness'of the'band (the thickness being the dimension measured radially from the center of the ring). The length of the tongue t is determined by the position of the inner terminaly transverse abutting end or edge e offset radially from the base of the tongue as shown, the depth of the offset being substantially one-half the thickness of the band. The inner contiguous corners c of the 4free ends of the tongues are rounded or oonvexed inwardly ortoward one another as shown, for a reason presently to appear. Formed on the outer face o f the band, and leading from each edge :e to a point beyond the tongue and contiguous .to the side of the band opposite from that of the tongue is a recess ordepression d, the

Patented Aug. 3, A1920.

depth of which is substantially equal to the thickness of the tongue, and its length to the length of the tongue, 4the bounding edges or walls of a depression being curved to 'con form to the corresponding edges` of the tongue opposite thereto7 so Athat when the band is contracted or compressed by a movement of its separated ends toward one another in the general plane of'the band, the tongues will be received by their corresponding depressions, and the edges e, e, (which are preferably parallel to the axis of the band or perpendicular to the sides of the band) will be brought into abutting rel lation, the outer faces of the tongues being continuous and coincident or flush with, thetongue is shaped to receive the opposite tongue, the curvature ofthe' bounding walls of a depression being the reverse of the A curvature of the rounded edge of the tongue contiguous thereto, whereby the two curvatures form a reverse curve in the shape ot an elongated letter S. The extent of' the contracting movement of the band necessarily depends on the length or circumferential dimension of the depression di and the length of the tongue t which the same is designed t'o receive, and this without regard to the angle which the ends or edges e make with the sides of the band, said angle in the eX- ample shown being a right angle though obviously I am not to be limited to this angle. The parts are so proportioned that when the tongues t have fully entered their respective recesses or depressions d the e, c, are brought substantially into abutting or contiguous relation.

The offsets :forming the edges e, and the curved bounding walls of the recesses or depressions d are substantially radial in di* rection so that the ends of the ring when compressed into the cylinder in which the' piston is to operate are tree to expand outward and permit the outer .tace of the ring to hug the inner walls of the cylinder. The rubbing or coacting surfaces ot the bottoms of the depressions d and the inner faces of the tongues 12' are concentric with the inner and outer 'faces ot the ring so that the ends of the ring are free to play over one another in their contracting and expanding movements. Again, it in the contracting movement of the ring the same should be distorted or sprung laterally or out rof the plane of the ring so as-to cause one tongue to foul the opposite tongue, the rounded corners 0 will properly guide the tongues into their respective depressions or recesses l as clearly obvious from Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The ring mayof course be used on any type of internal combustion, steam, air or other engine, not being restricted in its use to any one type.

It will be seen from the foregoing that each tongue or extension t constitutes an outer terminal member with an outer face continuous with the outer face ot the band, said tongue being contiguous to one side of the band; that the edge e constitutes an inner formation oiset from the base of the tongue; that the recess or depression d leading Jfrom the edge e faces outwardly and is located contiguous to the opposite side of the band, the curved bounding wall of the recess being equal in depth substantially to the depth of the oifset forming the edge or end e; that the tongue and recess at one end are diagonally opposite the tongue and recess at the other end, whereby upon compression of the band each tongue slips into its respective recess. In other words, the tongue and depression at one end of the band are formed reversely to the tongue and depression at the opposite end, the transverse abutting edges e, e, being disposed midway between the terminals of the reverse curves defining the curved portions of the' tongues and curved bounding walls ot the depressions aforesaid. rI his permits a lap-joint to be formed between the tongues t, t, and an abutting or butt joint between the edges or ends e, e, there being a lap joint on each side of the butt joint thus formed. Obviously the ring may be modified in many particulars with out departing from the nature or spirit or" the invention.

.Having described my invention what claim is:

l. A one-'piece piston ring comprising a resilient split metal band having its ends disengaged when tree, and terminating in transverse abutting edges extending the width of the band contiguous to the inner face of the band, tongue extensions on the outer tace of the band having inner sloping corners at their tree ends and projecting beyond the transverse edges aforesaid disposed respectively contiguous to the opposite sides of the band, an outwardly tacing depression leading :troni each transverse edge in an opposite direction "from the tongue, the band being contractible by, a movement of its tree ends toward one another in the general plane ot the band, whereby atongueat one end, in such contracting movement, is received by and guided into the depressiuinv opposite thereto at the other end, the transverse edges atoresaid being brought into contiguous relation with a complete closing of the band.

2. A one-piece piston ring comprising a resilient split metal band terminating in transverse abutting edges extending the width of the band contiguous to the inner face of the band, tongue extensions on the outer face of the band having inner rounded corners at their free ends and projecting beyond the transverse edges aforesaid disposed respectively contiguous to the opposite sides of the band, an outwardly facing depression leading from each transverse .ede in an o posite direction from the tongue, the band being contractihle by a movement ot its tree ends toward one another in the general plane ot the band, a tongue at one end in such contracting movement being received by and guided into the depression opposite thereto at the other end, the abutting edges aforesaid being substantially midway between the tree ends of the tongues and the inner terminals oi the depression leading from said edges.

3. A one-piece piston ring comprising a resilient split metal band terminating in straight abutting edges disposed across the band contracting and expanding in the general plane of the band and at right angles to the sides of the band and contiguous to the inner face of the band, and of a thickness substantially one-half the thickness of the band, a tongue at one end disposed on one side of the band along the outer face of the bund und extendingbeyond the straight edge :it said end.1 :i eorrespolnliug tongue at the 0pposite end disposed on the opposite side of the bund along the outer face of the bend and projeeting in the opposite direction to the first named tongue, un out rvurdly facing depression huving e depth Substantially equal to one-halt' the tlliekuess of the bend leeding` from euch strulght edge in the opposite direction Vfrom the tongue projecting from Suid edge to :i point removed from the edge e distnre equal to the length of the tongue, the depression :it one end being` opposite to the tongue :it the other end the inner free edges ol the tongues being' vonyexed toward one another and' the depressions having thelr bounding Walls curved to conform to the shape of' the tongues to receive the respeetire tongues,v the combined curve of e tongue and bounding Wall of e depression forming n reverse or S-shaped Curve disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of the straight edge in which the bend terminates, the parts operating Substantially as and for the purpose set for-th.

In testimony whereof I' aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

' EDWARD BEECHER. ll'itnesses z MIL Six-mini, ELSE M. SIEGEL. 

